Australia must act now to protect its waters from contamination by unknown quantities of oil … [+]
World War II shipwrecks dot Australian waters serve as haunting reminders of the fierce naval conflicts that took place in the Pacific Theater. Caught in the crossfire of a titanic battle between the Allies and the Axis powers, these sunken relics recount a time when Australia’s shores and surrounding seas became a pivotal battleground.
Australia’s strategic importance, located near vital shipping lanes and critical military objectives in the Pacific, has drawn naval giants such as the United States and Japan into epic confrontations. Every sunken ship, whether American, Japanese or Australian, marks the point of a fierce battle for control.
Today, however, Australia faces a different kind of battle as these wrecks, now described as “time bombs“, threaten the marine environment. Carrying oil and various wartime chemicals, these ships wear out. With each passing year of the war, the wreckage continues to be overtaken and broken up. This poses a significant risk, similar to an oil spill, where the spillage of these substances could seriously affect marine life and the surrounding ecosystem.
Although many shipwrecks are scattered around Australia, six have been identified as “serious environmental hazards”. Among them, the American-owned ships Lexington, Neosho and Sims are located in the Coral Sea Marine Park. In addition, two shipwrecks are located off Victoria, near Apollo Bay and Cape Wilsons. The other is MV Limerick, located just 18km east of Ballina in New South Wales.
The consequences of an oil spill of this size
The possibility of oil spills from World War II wrecks in Australia echoes some of the most devastating environmental disasters in history. For example, the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska’s Prince William Sound released about 11 million gallons of crude oil. This disaster devastated the local ecosystem, killing thousands of marine animals – including seabirds, otters and seals – and causing long-term damage to the fish populations on which local economies depended.
Baby Sea Otter covered in oil, victim of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, found dead in the snow … [+]
Another example is the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, one of the largest marine oil spills ever recorded. Over the course of several months, the spill released an estimated 134 million gallons of oil, extensively affecting marine and coastal species. This spill not only resulted in widespread death and illness among marine life, but also severely affected the fishing and tourism industries throughout the Gulf region, demonstrating the broad economic impacts that can accompany environmental damage.
The Major Projects Foundation, a conservation-focused nonprofit, along with other researchers, are facing a major hurdle: The exact amounts of oil and toxic chemicals in these World War II wrecks remain unknown. However, the potential for disaster is very clear – enough to possibly repeat the severe environmental impacts seen in historic oil spills. The proximity of some of these wrecks to the coast raises additional concerns.
Experts warn of a possible domino effect if these substances are spilled into the ocean. Contaminants could enter the food chain, affecting fish, then birds and other marine animals that rely on those fish for food. This cascade could destroy local ecosystems and the wider environmental health of the region. The uncertainty surrounding the exact amount of oil remaining is complicating efforts to assess and mitigate risks, making urgent action all the more critical to prevent another historic disaster.
What is the Action Plan?
Recognizing these looming dangers, the Major Projects Foundation has spearheaded a critical initiative to protect our marine environment before the remnants of history cause a new kind of disaster. The Foundation assembled a team of subsea oil engineers, marine archaeologists and historians to address the dangers posed by World War II wrecks. Their approach begins with intensive research and fieldwork to identify the most dangerous wrecks, delving into historical records to determine the exact amounts of oil and chemicals they contain.
The plan involves deploying divers to these wrecks to safely extract the oil by drilling in the pipeline, a method that has proven effective elsewhere in the world.
An example where divers have successfully extracted oil from a sunken vessel is the operation on the wreck of the SS Frank H. Buck and SS Jacob Luckenbach. Both ships sank near the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and were sources of mysterious oil spills for decades.
In 2002, efforts to address these leaks intensified. Divers were deployed to access and remove oil from the ships’ tanks using hot tap technology, which involves attaching a valve to the ship’s structure and carefully pumping out the oil to prevent leaks during extraction. This operation successfully mitigated further contamination of the surrounding marine environment.
This is by no means cheap, as decontamination of a single wreck is estimated to cost at least $3 million. But the cost is justified by the potential to avoid up to $30 million in cleanup costs per oil spill incident.
There is also a need for strong government action and public support. The wrecks, though protected by the Australian government Underwater Cultural Heritage Act 2018they require active management and adequate funding to effectively mitigate their environmental threats.
By proactively addressing these risks, Australia can prevent past conflicts from undermining its maritime future, championing a cause that combines respect for historical heritage with the imperative to protect marine health.
